DINNER GUEST SPEAKERS

During Sunday’s BBQ event, two guest speakers will share their perspectives and personal stories from working within the sports industry. Speakers will bring unique insights and candid conversations in a relaxed, welcoming setting.

Ed's experience sits at the intersection of elite athletics, organizational leadership, identity development, and the systems that shape high performers.

A former Division I lacrosse player at the University of Notre Dame, Ed competed in four NCAA Tournaments and two Final Fours while experiencing firsthand both the demands of elite competition and the challenge of figuring out who you are when the structure and identity of sport begin to change. That experience continues to shape his work with athletes today and his belief that what makes someone successful in sport should not be left behind when the game ends.

Before moving into athlete and leadership development, Ed spent nine years at Deloitte working across complex organizations and high-performance environments. His work spanned cyber strategy, organizational risk and identity management, and later sales operations and enablement for a large professional services business. Across those roles, he helped organizations navigate change, improve decision-making, align stakeholders, and translate complex challenges into practical strategies. The common thread throughout his career has been understanding how people, identity, systems, and performance interact.

Ed later earned his master's degree in Organizational Dynamics from the University of Pennsylvania, specializing in leadership coaching and organizational behavior. His academic and professional work has focused heavily on athlete identity development and how the skills, mindset, and identity developed through competition can continue to create value long after an athlete's playing career.

At 42U, Ed serves as VP of Identity Development in Sport, helping bring a deeper understanding of identity and human behavior into how athletes are developed and positioned. His work includes helping review, interpret, and package insights generated through psychological assessments into practical development and branding tools. He works to connect assessment findings with an athlete's identity, communication style, leadership strengths, and personal story so those insights can be applied both within sport and beyond it.

Ed also serves as Executive Director of Athletes Soul, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting athletes beyond sport through coaching, community, and holistic development. In that role, he leads fundraising, partnership development, and organizational growth while helping advance the organization's mission of supporting athletes as they navigate questions of identity, purpose, and direction beyond competition.

Through hundreds of conversations with athletes across sports and levels of competition, along with ongoing research in identity development and organizational behavior, Ed brings a practical perspective to a question that sits at the center of his work: How do we help athletes better understand who they are, not just what they do?

His goal at 42U is to help build the identity infrastructure modern athletes need to better understand themselves, communicate who they are, lead with greater self-awareness, and create opportunities that extend far beyond their playing careers.

Daniel E. Lust is a distinguished sports law attorney and educator, renowned for his comprehensive expertise at the intersection of sports and law. As Counsel at Moritt Hock & Hamroff LLP in New York, he provides strategic counsel to athletes, entertainers, influencers, and agencies on a wide range of legal matters, including endorsement deals, sponsorship agreements, and complex business ventures.

A Fordham University School of Law alumnus, Lust served as President of the Sports Law Forum and played a pivotal role in establishing the Fordham National Basketball Negotiation Competition. His commitment to sports law education continues as an adjunct professor at Pace University’s Elisabeth Haub School of Law, where he teaches courses on contracts and litigation.

Beyond his legal practice, Lust is a prominent voice in sports law media. He hosts the highly acclaimed podcast Conduct Detrimental: THE Sports Law Podcast, which has garnered over 500,000 downloads, and contributes to discussions on platforms like ESPN, FOX Sports, and CBS.

Recognized for his contributions to the field, Lust has been named to The Best Lawyers in America® and Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in the area of Sports Law, including the 2026 edition of Best Lawyers in America in the Sports Law category.